more rude awakenings of moving out of home

Posted On: October 6th, 2016

No, not the rude awakening you’re thinking of.

There are a few things about uni-life that kind of smack you in the face if you’ve just moved out of home. Sure, it’s a really exciting time and you’re probably super excited to get away from your parents and the last few years of high school mania, but you may be surprised to learn that suddenly living an adult life is not all it’s cracked up to be. Don’t get me wrong, it’s awesome in a lot of different ways, but if I can give you forewarning on anything, it’s this:

The cost of toilet paper comes out of your pocket

Correct. Toilet paper costs money, and it runs out more frequently than you’d care to imagine. If you’re living with a few roommates, you’ll most likely run in to confusion about who’s turn it is to buy the next pack, but it will run out, and when you need more you’re going to need to dish out anywhere between $7-12 for a decent-sized pack to keep you going. This might already seem obvious to you, but trust me, you can be as prepared for uni-life as anyone and still run out of toilet paper at the most inconvenient time.

Ironing your clothes is hard

If your mum or dad was constantly washing, drying, ironing and folding your clothes for you, you’re in for an interesting revelation: this does not happen when you put a significant distance between you and the person who was doing your chores for you. You’ll crease the hell out of those work shirts before you realise there is actually a skill in ironing properly, and you’ll need to iron a lot before you master it. I would suggest starting to iron your clothes before you leave home, just so you don’t look like you’re dressing for Halloween when you go to a job interview.

navigating adult life ^

Cooking (good cooking) takes time

Believe it or not, if you want something other than 2-minute Noodles, it’s going to take more than 2 minutes to cook. Shocker. Cooking on a student budget can be tricky, but it’s not impossible and all it takes is a few cupboard staples to keep it healthy and filling. Otherwise you run the risk of spiralling in to a ramen food coma, and once you’re in there’s little chance of getting out.

Money is hard to earn

If you happen to be one of the lucky ones who got a job straight out of home and you’re working to support yourself while studying, well done. You’ve got it better than a lot of people, so hold on to that job like your life depends on it, because it kind of does. Minimum wage kind of sucks, but a job is a job, and if it means you can do a grocery shop on the regular, count your lucky stars.

The importance of cleaning dawns on you quickly

Nothing creeps up on you faster than general household mess. And when it does, you’ll want to call your mum and tell her how much you appreciate her now. Even dust becomes an alarming issue when it’s caking on your skirting boards 3cm thick. The biggest mistake most uni students make is not cleaning on a regular basis to avoid the build-up. If you leave it until its really dirty, cleaning is never pleasant. Do yourself a favour and make it a habit before you start spreading disease.

In all honesty, moving out of home and living as an adult is a lot of fun. The realisations that you have to do chores suck for like the first 6 months, and then it becomes kind of a non-issue. If you’re starting uni next year just be aware that learning a few dishes to cook and figuring out how to iron one work shirt will go a long way when your parents aren’t there to do it for you!